Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow.
Kremlin Press Service

Germany's former foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has said that the international community has started to see Russia as a serious player on the international stage after to its operations in Syria, the Kommersant newspaper reports.

Steinmeier said that Russia's military operation in Syria had challenged the United States' position in the region, and that Russia's campaign had been successful "from the Russian point of view."

Steinmeier also said he is convinced that Russia needs to seek allies.

"Russia will inevitably have to resort to finding a partner and political means if it wants to play an influential role in the international community," he said.

It had previously been reported that Russia's delegation to the Syrian peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan delivered a draft constitutional proposal to the Syrian opposition representatives.

The proposed constitution contained a number of changes such as limits on presidential terms. The proposal even suggested changing the country's name from the "Syrian Arab Republic" to "Syrian Republic."

However, opposition representatives refused to consider the Russian proposal, objecting to the fact that it was "written in another country."